Brand Approval Declined, Appealed, Won, Can't add offer
I am a relatively new seller, and I have never had an application to sell get declined until last week. I found a product that has several sellers on it, no known IP issues and it sells at a decent volume with good profit. It was not hard gated, so I ordered twice the amount that is required on the selling application and submitted it. The application got denied and seller support said my documentation was good and that I just needed to keep reapplying. So I did, and then I got a message that it was auto-declining because I kept reapplying with the same documentation, and if I wanted to get it approved I needed to reply in the case thread with new documentation. They wouldn't tell me what was wrong with the invoice that I was providing, just that I needed to provide something else. Keep in mind that the seller support reps said that they thought my documentation was good. I ended up finding what I feel was a small technicality on the invoice that I was able to clarify with a screenshot from my distributor. It worked. The screenshot with the invoice was enough proof for my selling application to now be approved. The problem is that the approval is a different case number than the decline and I am still restricted from selling anything on that brand. Could the two cases be in conflict with each other on the back-end? I'm really hoping to get a response from an Amazon rep that can help me sort this out, otherwise I am going to have more than a lifetime personal supply of this product on my hands.
Also, now that the approval went through, Seller Support is saying to just use the "Copy Listing" button to add the ASIN to my catalog. I told them I didn't want to do that because I thought it would create a brand new ASIN and as a seller who is not part of that brand's Brand Registry account I can't do that. Multiple reps assured me that it wouldn't. It tried it and it did. I deleted the ASIN from my catalog because it was blocked anyway, but now in addition to the approval issues I now possibly have a Brand-registered ASIN creation violation looming thanks to Seller Support's advice.
Edit: I noticed that other people tag mods that have helped in similar situations. @Steve_Amazon I saw you post on a similar issue from several months ago. Any suggestions?
Brand Approval Declined, Appealed, Won, Can't add offer
I am a relatively new seller, and I have never had an application to sell get declined until last week. I found a product that has several sellers on it, no known IP issues and it sells at a decent volume with good profit. It was not hard gated, so I ordered twice the amount that is required on the selling application and submitted it. The application got denied and seller support said my documentation was good and that I just needed to keep reapplying. So I did, and then I got a message that it was auto-declining because I kept reapplying with the same documentation, and if I wanted to get it approved I needed to reply in the case thread with new documentation. They wouldn't tell me what was wrong with the invoice that I was providing, just that I needed to provide something else. Keep in mind that the seller support reps said that they thought my documentation was good. I ended up finding what I feel was a small technicality on the invoice that I was able to clarify with a screenshot from my distributor. It worked. The screenshot with the invoice was enough proof for my selling application to now be approved. The problem is that the approval is a different case number than the decline and I am still restricted from selling anything on that brand. Could the two cases be in conflict with each other on the back-end? I'm really hoping to get a response from an Amazon rep that can help me sort this out, otherwise I am going to have more than a lifetime personal supply of this product on my hands.
Also, now that the approval went through, Seller Support is saying to just use the "Copy Listing" button to add the ASIN to my catalog. I told them I didn't want to do that because I thought it would create a brand new ASIN and as a seller who is not part of that brand's Brand Registry account I can't do that. Multiple reps assured me that it wouldn't. It tried it and it did. I deleted the ASIN from my catalog because it was blocked anyway, but now in addition to the approval issues I now possibly have a Brand-registered ASIN creation violation looming thanks to Seller Support's advice.
Edit: I noticed that other people tag mods that have helped in similar situations. @Steve_Amazon I saw you post on a similar issue from several months ago. Any suggestions?
9 replies
Michelle_Amazon
Hello @Seller_c8R5ZHSPXkamj,
Thanks for reaching out. I understand that you are having issues getting approved for one of your brands you are trying to list. I have found Case ID: 16916548541 which was denied. Some reasons that you may get denied are that you did not buy from an authorized distributor that's approved by the brand. Here is a post that will advise what is needed to help improve your chances of approval.
In order to be approved, you will need to ensure that your vendor buys directly from the brand, and the team will review and advise if your application was accepted or not. You can do this by getting them to provide you with the invoice they received when they purchased the items, or a link to the brands website, showing them as an authorized distributor.
I would encourage you to always purchase from authorized distributors, which will limit issues like this from happening.
If it's a different brand that you need help with, please provide me with that case ID so I can take a look.
Regards,
Michelle
Seller_c8R5ZHSPXkamj
@Michelle_Amazon I didn't see your response until now for some reason. You have the correct case ID, but the last correspondence that I have for that case says that I was approved. How is it that I see one thing, but you see another? The place that I purchased from is a 100% legit supplier and I have never purchased anything from anywhere that would be considered otherwise. If a brand is hard gated, why give the instructions for applying and allow people to apply and then lock them out? That leads to wasteful spending on the sellers part and sticks us with inventory that we can't move. I realize that it is "not Amazon's responsibility," but it is incredibly inconsiderate toward third-party sellers who are trying to navigate the ever-changing landscape of selling on Amazon. I was allowed to apply, I was approved, now the entire brand is hard-gated for me. If I'm not going to be allowed to sell something, Amazon should lead with that instead of leading me on by allowing me to apply with a 100+ unit invoice. It almost feels like I am being treated as an adversary instead of a partner who is generating revenue for the company.
Michelle_Amazon
Hi @Seller_c8R5ZHSPXkamj,
What I am seeing in the case on December 31st and prior is:
We have reviewed the documentation you provided and determined that you are not eligible to sell XXXX products. We evaluated the information you provided, but it did not pass our review.
We took this action to ensure the mutual success of our sellers and buyers on our site.
I can see that this is the same reply that you have gotten on every reply within this case. If you have a relationship with the brand, ask them to add you to their Brand Registry, which will allow you to sell their items.
I hope this is helpful.
Michelle
Seller_c8R5ZHSPXkamj
@Michelle_Amazon The final reply that I received on this case was on December 31st as well at 11:49pm and it reads as follows: "Thank you for your application to sell XXXX products. We have reviewed the documentation you provided and have approved your application. You are now approved to list under this XXXX."
So clearly we are seeing two different resolutions to this case. Can you please look into this? I genuinely think there is something going wrong in the system that is preventing me from listing items under this brand and it has to do with the initial decline and appeal process. I would really appreciate a follow-up on this.
Michelle_Amazon
Hello @Seller_c8R5ZHSPXkamj,
Thanks for letting me know that you are seeing something different. I have created a case in your Seller Account for you to provide me with a screenshot. Please reply back to Case ID 17204926611 with what you are seeing so I can have this looked into.
Thanks,
Michelle
Michelle_Amazon
Hello @Seller_c8R5ZHSPXkamj,
Thank you for providing the images. I am looking into this and will let you know as soon as I have more information.
Have a great weekend!
Michelle
Seller_c8R5ZHSPXkamj
Hello @Michelle_Amazon!
Just checking in to see if there is any progress. I have checked on the ASIN and the prompt that comes up then I click the apply button has changed a few times since our last interaction, so I can tell that something is happening in the background.
Just to be clear, I understand that actually becoming ungated is a long shot. Really, I just want to understand the process a little better and hopefully plant the seed for the ungating process of restricted products to become a little clearer.
Michelle_Amazon
Hi @Seller_c8R5ZHSPXkamj,
The team has completed their review and have advised that, as part of our ongoing efforts to provide the best possible customer experience, Amazon has implemented additional restrictions for Ingestible Brands. The ASINs from Burt's Bees brand fall under ingestible items. Unfortunately, we are not accepting applications for ingestible brands at this time.
If you feel that the categorization is wrong, please reach out to Seller Support so they can investigate this for you. If you are able to get this re-categorized, please provide me with the new case ID so I can look into this further for you.
If you have a relationship with the brand directly, you can reach out to them to ask them to add you as an Authorized Reseller of their brand, which may get you approved to list their items.
I know this is not the outcome that you were hoping for, but I thank you for your understanding.
All the best,
Michelle
Seller_c8R5ZHSPXkamj
That doesn’t explain why I was able to apply, and I have an approved application though.
